Early results from the phase III trial of laquinimod indicate that the drug is no more effective than placebo in reducing relapses, according to a press release issued by Teva Pharmaceuticals (http://hugin.info/1002/R/1535269/468107.pdf) and an August 1st webcast to investors (http://ir.tevapharm.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=73925&p=irol-EventDetails&EventId=4168607). More complete results from the trial are expected to be presented later this year at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS) annual conference in Amsterdam.
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Inhaled apomorphine tested in severe PD
September 14, 2011REPORT FROM THE 15TH INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE AND MOVEMENT DISORDERS, TORONTO, JUNE 5-9, 2011 – The dopamine agonist apomorphine has demonstrated efficacy as a rescue therapy for end-of-dose wearing-off motor fluctuations in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease who are receiving optimal antiparkinsonian medications (Chen & Obering. Clin Ther 2005; 27: 1710-1724).
Side effects include injection-site reactions and skin complications, such as panniculitis, resulting from subcutaneous injection (Koller & Stacy. Neurology 2004; 62[6 suppl 4]: S22-S26).
Infection history may influence PD risk
September 14, 2011REPORT FROM THE 15TH INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE AND MOVEMENT DISORDERS, TORONTO, JUNE 5-9, 2011 – A Canadian case-control study suggests that a history of influenza exposure may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (Harris et al. Abstract 154).
Predictors of dyskinesia: STRIDE-PD analysis
September 14, 2011REPORT FROM THE 15TH INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE AND MOVEMENT DISORDERS, TORONTO, JUNE 5-9, 2011 – A number of clinical studies have demonstrated the benefits of entacapone, a catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor, in combination with levodopa-carbidopa in PD patients with motor fluctuations (Parkinson Study Group. Ann Neurol 1997; 42: 747-755; Rinne et al. Neurology 1998; 51: 186-189).
The combination of levodopa-carbidopa-entacapone (LCE) was also shown to provide modest improvements in motor and ADL scores in non-fluctuating PD patients in the Celomen study (Poewe et al. Acta Neurol Scand 2002; 105: 245-255). A pooled analysis subsequently reported that the early addition of entacapone to the levodopa/carbidopa regimen could lead to better long-term outcomes compared to delayed introduction of the drug (Nissinen et al. Eur J Neurol 2009; 16: 1305-1311).